Freeman School District

Achieving Excellence

FSD Water Supply

The Freeman School District (FSD) water supply is tested regularly, and the treatment system continues to produce safe drinking water for our students and staff.

The Washington Department of Ecology is reviewing the draft remedial investigation report, which defines the boundaries of carbon tetrachloride contamination coming from the Grain Handling Facility. Cenex Harvest States and Union Pacific (UP) Railroad, the parties responsible for cleanup, requested additional time to complete more work to help them write the feasibility study, so it is now due to Ecology by December 15, 2019. The feasibility study will present a range of final cleanup options.

Because of the extra time needed to fully investigate the contamination and evaluate the best ways to clean it up, Ecology is requiring Cenex and UP to complete an interim cleanup action to capture contamination and slow groundwater plume movement. They will submit a draft plan by September 13 for Ecology’s review, and it will be available for public comment before any work begins. The goal is to begin operating the interim action by the end of the year.

FSD, UP, Cenex, and Ecology communicate regularly and share the common goal of finding a permanent solution to address groundwater contamination and provide a clean water supply. Please visit their Grain Handling Facility at Freeman website for more information about the cleanup or contact Sandra Treccani at sandra.treccani@ecy.wa.gov or 509-329-3419.